Vick did it by being a knucklehead. By being thrown in jail just months after the team traded backup Matt Schaub. By being such a distraction in absentia he chased off a prima donna coach and contributed to the release of a throng of cynical veterans.

Vick resurrected this franchise by giving us Matt Ryan.

Without Vick and his legal problems, Ryan is playing in Kansas City or with the New York Jets while the Falcons continue to underachieve.

If Vick is still taking snaps for the Falcons, we're still talking about how Atlanta's quarterback can't read defenses, can't perform consistently and can't lead. With Ryan, the conversation is less about what the quarterback can't do than what the team can achieve.

Let's admit it: The Falcons are better off with a rookie quarterback with the mobility of a filing cabinet than they ever were with the fleet-footed Vick.

Forget 2005, when the Falcons reached the NFC Championship, and 2003, when the Falcons became the first team ever to win a playoff game at Lambeau Field. When you talked about those runs, the conversation always came down to "Vick's potential."

Potential for trouble

Turned out that potential was for disaster. Once that catastrophe finally hit, it stripped bare the franchise better than a Category 5 storm.

Out of the rubble came an unpretentious general manager and a no-nonsense coach. The GM signed an underrated tailback and drafted a promising quarterback. The coach hired an offensive coordinator willing to adapt his scheme to his personnel, especially his rookie quarterback.

And all the sudden the team most felt would be competing for the top pick in next year's draft is vying for the playoffs.

The true explanation is almost that elementary. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey's approach is just simple enough to be ingenious. Grind away with tailback Michael Turner to limit a defense's creativity and keep Ryan out of long-yardage passing situations. And in the passing game, the Falcon receivers run simple routes - outs, square ins, quick slants - so Ryan rarely has to force balls into coverage.

Watching it makes you wonder why Bobby Petrino and Greg Knapp, Jim Mora's offensive coordinator, insisted on such complexity. Guess they felt the need to prove their guru reputations.

Keeping it simple

The simplest solution is often the best in sports. The motion offense will never die in basketball. A solid pitching rotation will forever be the cornerstone of baseball success, even in this era of long and middle relievers. Golf will always be about chipping and putting, not driving distance.

Granted, football is more complicated than the other games. But if you lack the personnel to execute your plans yet refuse to adjust, you're just plain stubborn. Football, as in life, is about figuring out what you do well, doing it, and then gradually improving on it.

As Ryan and his line mature, the offense will become more varied and more potent. But for now, scoring 25 points and controlling the ball and the clock is enough to keep the Falcons in every game.

That approach is much more reliable than counting on Vick to win games - and more promising for the future, too.